Supporting means for aerial tramways



Aug. 19, 1941. A. BERGWALL SUPPORTING MEANS FOR AERIAL TRAMWAYS Filed Feb. 15, 1940 I"! ]l W F E. 1. I I

l HH lllll A J L Patented Aug. 19 1941 SUPPORTING MEANS FOR AERIAL TRAM- wars Anton Bergwall, Worcester, Mass, assignor to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application February 15, 1940, Serial No. 319,117

4 Claims.

Single rope haulage systems, such as monocable aerial tramways" (for carrying freight or passengers) "ski-tows (for hauling skiers uphill while supported on their skis), aerial ski chair ropeways (for carrying skiers or passengers in hanging chairs or cabins) and some varieties of surface haulage using a cable traction line, all

require an attachment to the cable for moving the load, whether suspended or otherwise, this attachment being known as a hanger head.

Hanger heads are either made to clamp on the cabletightly so as to obtain directly the resistance to movement along the cable required for maintaining proper location and to drive the load, or they are fltted loosely around the cable, leaving the cable free to rotate within the hanger head and depend upon other means for maintaining their location and to drive the load.

The traction cable to which the hanger heads are attached is usually spliced to make an endless circuit. It is supported by rollers along the line, and passes around a horizontally placed roller at each terminal, one of which drives the cable. It will be apparent that the hanger head must be of such a design as to pass rollers placed vertically underneath the cable for supporting it, rollers placed vertically above the cable for depressing it, !and rollers placed horizontally for changing the course in one direction.

According to conventional design, these rollers must have very shallow grooves, otherwise the hanger head will not clear the rollers. These shallow grooves are objectionable because they facilitate dislocation of the cable from the rollers.

then acts as a fulcrum point with the hanger as the lever.

Shallow grooves are not so objectionable in hold-down or depressing rollers, as these are not required very often on a tramway, and, where they occur, the cable is somewhat insured against dislocation by the close proximity of supporting rollers so placed as to press the cable forcibly into their grooves at all times.

It is among the objects of the present invention to support aerial tramways in such fashion that the cables thereof will not become disengaged from their cooperating rollers.

Another object is to accomplish the foregoing while at the same time permitting material swinging movement of the hanger head.-

The foregoing and other objects will be apparent after referring to the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan of the hanger head of the present invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are elevations of the lower and upper rollers, the latter being in section; and

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the hanger head and roller assemblies.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the, numeral 2 designates the metallic cable of a "monocable type of aerial tramway. According to conventional aerial tramway design, the cable 2 is supported at suitable intervals and held down at other intervals by rollers carried on roller axles 4. In conventional tramways, these rollers are provided with symmetrical shallow grooves. The shallow depth of the grooves is for the reason that if deep grooves were employed, the hanger head attached to the cable would not clear the flanges of the conventional roller. Shallow grooves are objectionable because cables frequently jump out of the grooves and sometimes necessitate numerous hold-down rollers.

According to the teachings of the present invention, in lieu of the conventional rollers there is provided a series of supporting rollers, generally indicated at 3, having unsymmetrical grooves, as will appear more fully hereinafter. Each of these rollers 3 is provided with suitable side flanges 5 and 6. Inwardly arched from the flange ii is a groove shaped recess, generally indicated at t. This groove shaped recess is, as shown in Figure 2, relatively narrow when compared with the remainder of the face of the roller. Connecting with the flange 6, the roller 3 provides an inwardly tapered substantially straight portion 9 of substantial width, when compared with the width of the groove shaped recess 8. Connecting the groove shaped recess 8 and the inwardly tapered substantially straight portion 9 is the cable-receiving groove of the roller 3, which comprises three ring-like members, as at Ill, the center of which defines a concave groove, while the end members are inwardly beveled.

For use in combination with the roller 3, the invention comprises a hanger head, generally indicated at l5. Referring more particularly to Figure 2, the hanger head l5 provides a pair of spaced apart but aligned substantially cylindrical portions l6 which freely embrace the cable 2. Intermediate these members It there is secured to the cable 2 a lug 20 which is free to move against either of the substantially cylindrical portions l6 and drive the hanger head l5 according to the direction of movement of the cable 2.

More specifically, the hanger head l5 provides a generally longitudinally extending member which in section comprises the spaced apart but aligned substantially cylindrical portions IS, a connecting substantially U-shaped portion 23 merging into a reversely curved portion 24 on a larger radius which in turn connects with a substantially flat portion 25 from which there downwardly depends, at a distance suflicient for clearance 01. the adjacent flange 6 of the roller 3, a member 21 to which there is connected the hanger 29 of the platform (not shown) for the carrying of passengers or freight.

As will be seen in Figure 2, the construction of the hanger head, generally indicated at l5, when used in combination with a roller 3, enables substantial deflection of the hanger without causing contact of the hanger head with the side flanges of the roller. In addition, the construction of the roller 3 is such that displacement of the cable 2, if and when it occurs, will be immediately corrected by the function of the surfaces 8 and 9 of the roller 3 to move the cable back into its cable-receiving groove defined by the three ring-like members l0.

Referring to Figure 3 of the drawing, the teachings of the invention comprise the provision of an upper or tower roller, generally designated at 30. Each of these tower rollers 30 comprises a pair of widely spaced side flanges 3| and 32. Adjacent the flange 3| the roller 30 is provided with a ring-like member 33 having a cable-receiving groove 34. This member 33 is, as previously pointed out, adjacent the end flange 3|; whereas it will be noted that the flange 32 connects with the ring-like member 33 through a substantially straight portion 35 which is tapered inwardly to provide for the restoration of the cable should it deflect from its normal occupancy of the groove 34 in the ring-like member 33, 7

While I have shown and described several specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be seen that I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an aerial tramway, an elevated traveling cable and a pulley therefor comprising spaced side flanges, a cable-receiving groove offset from the mid-portion of said pulley, and a concavely flared portion connecting the adjacent edge of said recess with the most adjacent side flange, the other edge of said cable-receiving groove being connected with the other side flange of the pulley by an outwardly tapering frustoconical portion of materially greater length than that of the flared portion aforesaid.

2. In an aerial tramway, an elevated traveling cable and a pulley therefor comprising spaced side flanges, a cable-receiving groove offset from the mid-portion of said pulley, a concavely flared portion connecting the adjacent edge of said recess with the most adjacent side flange, the other edge of said cable-receiving groove being connected with the other side flange of the pulley by an outwardly tapering frustoconical portion of materially greater length than that of the flared portion aforesaid, and a resilient liner for said cable-receiving groove.

3. In an aerial tramway, an elevated traveling cable, a hanger connected to said elevated traveling cable, said hanger comprising a laterally-extending arm, means on the upper surface of said laterally-extending arm for receiving the side flange of an overhead pulley, and means on the lower surface of said laterally-extending arm for receiving the side flange of a pulley disposed therebelow, said last-named means being offset with respect to said first-named means.

4. In an aerial tramway, an elevated traveling cable, a pulley comprising spaced side flanges, a cable-receiving groove offset from the mid-portion of said pulley, and a concavely flared portion connecting the adjacent edge of said recess with the most adjacent side flange, the other side of said cable-receiving groove being connected with the other side flange of the pulley by an outwardly tapering frusto-conical portion of materially greater length than that of the flared portion aforesaid; in combination with a hanger connected to said elevated traveling cable, said hanger comprising a laterally-extending arm, means on the upper surface of said laterallyextending arm for receiving one of the side fiangesof said pulley, and means on the lower surface of said laterally-extending arm for receiving the other side flange of said pulley, said last-named means being offset with respect to said first-named means, whereby a plurality of the said pulleys may be employed with said elevated traveling cable in any coplanar relationship without the flanges thereof making contact with the laterally-extending arm of the hanger.

ANTON BERGWALL. 

